Put it on CO2, release the pressure and let the CO2 refill to about 10-12 psi. It clears the headspace and refills with fresh CO2. If you have a lot of acetaldehyde, you can help to reduce it in this way as well as with aging.

OK. That is what I thought you meant, but wasn't sure. Thank you for all of the advice. I will almost certainly have some off flavors to work on. Good luck on finding your barrel. It shouldn't be too hard to come across. We get them for $50-$60 down here pretty easily.

I didn't think so either. I don't know if maybe that vial was just bad. I guess I will never know now. Another thing I noticed. The smell of the yeast was very different. Bitter smelling....a buddy of mine decribed it as rancid. I noticed it in both of the lager yeast....not nice and bready like the ale yeasts I am used to. I assume this is a characteristic of lager yeast?

Goldammer: The Brewer's Handbook, Chapter 12-Wort Cooling and Aeration, Removal of Cold Break."After the wort is cooled, the cold break must be removed before fermentation, or else the beer will taste wort-like, bitter, and even harsh. Opinions vary as to whether cold break should be removed at all before transferring the wort to the fermenter.Traditional lager brewers advocate the removal of cold break prior to fermentation, and some even filter cold worts prior to pitching (14). Lager brewers believe cold break removal aids in colloidal stability in the beer, circumvents the formation of sulfury flavors, and removes harsh bitter fractions derived from hops."

When I started lagering, my first 2-3 really sucked, so I did a LOT of research as to why. Now, they are pretty darn good!

Goldammer: The Brewer's Handbook, Chapter 12-Wort Cooling and Aeration, Removal of Cold Break."After the wort is cooled, the cold break must be removed before fermentation, or else the beer will taste wort-like, bitter, and even harsh. Opinions vary as to whether cold break should be removed at all before transferring the wort to the fermenter.Traditional lager brewers advocate the removal of cold break prior to fermentation, and some even filter cold worts prior to pitching (14). Lager brewers believe cold break removal aids in colloidal stability in the beer, circumvents the formation of sulfury flavors, and removes harsh bitter fractions derived from hops."

When I started lagering, my first 2-3 really sucked, so I did a LOT of research as to why. Now, they are pretty darn good!

Dude...Nice post.I'm impressed & interested.I'll have to do some experimenting.